Twins
by scarlettbelle
Summary: Victor returns from the "dead" determined to claim what is rightfully his. Determined to leave the kids out of it he uses his brother's other weakness to gain it, Carly
1. Chapter 1

Carly stepped out of her office after changing from her work clothes into a red off the shoulder cocktail dress that Todd had never seen. She loved dressing for him. Even before they had started dating, when she had thought herself in love with John Zacchara, Carly loved going to his office for some small menial task just so he could look her over in that way only he had ever done. As she turned towards the main elevators for their dinner in the restaurant she felt it. Someone pressed a pistol into her ribs. Carly froze. She uttered the first words that came to her,

"I am no longer married to Sonny Corinthos or Jasper Jacks. Neither will give you a ransom for me."

She continued as she felt the pressure lesson on her side,

"If this is about Jerry Jacks, my ex husband won't give you a dime no matter what you do. If you let me go, I will continue walking and you can get out of here."

Her assailant spoke into her right ear,

"You are going to get me Todd Manning."

Carly was shocked. She had done a background check on Todd when she first let him stay in her hotel, a fugitive on the run, then just acquitted of a murder he readily admitted he had committed. She had found a thick file of crimes, and any number of enemies.

"He kidnapped someone I loved once to summon me. I figured, turnabout was fairplay."

He picked her cell phone out of her cluch and handed it to her,

"Call him now and tell him you would rather have an intimate dinner in his suite."

To any onlookers in the lobby, they looked like a very attractive, well dressed couple that were on their way out for the evening. Not a kidnapper and his victim. Carly pressed the speed dial for Todd's cell phone, knowing that he had spent the afternoon out of the office. He answered on the third ring,

"Manning." Todd barked into his phone without looking at the caller id, he was going to be late for dinner with Carly and his mood was getting worse by the minute.

"Hey, I was just thinking, lets stay in tonight. I will have dinner sent to your suite."

Todd could hear something different in her voice but he couldn't exactly pin point what it was.

"That sounds great, I am having a difficult time getting out of here, it may be another hour or more."

Carly willed him to her. But she just said,

"I can't WAIT to see you."

She walked onto the elevater with the man that was holding her hostage alone. Once the doors had closed, he quietly told her,

"I am not going to hurt you, I just need you to ensure that he shows up."

With that she looked at him and gasped.

He was very handsome, he had intelligent eyes, high cheekbones that stood out more than usual as he was very thin. He was the same height and roughly the same build, but where Todd had a lithe muscular physique, he was slim, perhaps from illness. But it was him, Victor Lord Jr. The man that Todd had killed.

Todd's twin brother, Tea's husband. The man that had lived Todd's life for eight years. The father of the child that Sam, Alexis, Spinelli and she had buried. She felt dizzy and with the sudden stop of the elevator on Todd's floor, she lost her balance. She felt a strong arm around her. He may look thin but he was decectively strong.

Victor had tried to skulk about Todd's new town doing intel like Todd had done upon his return to Llanview the previous year but it simply was not his style. He had noticed her right away. The beautiful, tall, leggy blonde that Todd had apparently taken up with. She owned the hotel Victor had checked into under a false identity and though he had seen Starr on several occasions, he just could not use her to coerce Todd into giving him what was his. Starr would always be his child, just as much as Sam. His heart told him that. But he had hurt and disappointed her enough. And there was a certain toughness to the blonde, she fascinated him, in ways she reminded him of both Blair and Tea. Those similarities ended with their strength, beauty and ability to handle Todd Manning. This woman was unique. Victor was intrigued by how his damaged, introverted twin managed a relationship with her.

They walked into Todd's spacious suite together. He put the gun down and again reiterated he had no intention of harming her. Carly looked at him, he was conflicted and deeply wounded. She had no idea what this man had been through but she knew it had been hell. She saw in his eyes, the same look that she only occasionaly glimpsed in Todd for a split second here or there before he deflected it with a quip or barb at someone. This man didnt cover it, he laid out his soul and allowed you to look right in. It was jarring. Carly also strongly sensed that he would not hurt her. She wasn't so sure about Todd. Would he kill Todd? Had she lured Todd into a trap that would ultimately lead to his death. That thought left her sick with worry. She decided while they waited she could reason with him. Help the brothers find resolution without violence.

"What happened? Todd thinks he killed you, he stood trial."

"I would like to find that out myself."

Carly heard in his voice that was a volatile subject so she decied to switch gears.

"I am so sorry for your loss." Carly had been there when Todd had finally broken the news to Tea of her child's death and shown her the DNA results.

"Tea has been truly amazing during this. I know having Danielle home has helped but she has gone back to work, your wife is an incredibly strong woman."

"What loss, what are you talking about?" A thousand scenarios were racing through his head.

"Oh, God. Victor, I was talking about the baby." Carly realized as every emotion crossed his face, that he didn't know.

"What are you talking about." He repeated with just the hint of threat in his voice now.

"Your baby boy, he didn't make it."

Victor flashed to Sam, what was Todd's blonde lover talking about, his head couldn't wrap itself around what he was hearing.

"Sam?" He whispered.

"Oh Victor, no, the baby Tea was carrying when you di.. when you were lost." Carly was stunned. She and Tea had spoken at length several times, she nor Todd had ever told her that Victor had died unaware she was carrying his child.

"I'm so sorry, " Carly started

Victor collapsed on Todd's couch.

"Tea said that the baby had kept her going after she lost you but I never dreamed she hadn't had the opportunity to tell you."

Victor grabbed her wrist as she walked by and with a yank pulled her down until they were eye to eye. Carly noticed then that his eyes were different than Todd's. They were very blue, much bluer, the blue Todd's turned in bed or when he was extremely angry. Not the hazel green Todd's were most of the time. She watched those blue eyes tear up and felt just as awful for this man as she had for Sam and then Tea. Carly realized this child had been loved and mourned, though inadvertently, more than any she had ever heard of. That lifted her heart as she stared into the broken face of the child's long thought dead father. She couldn't help herself, while he weeped into hers, she put her hands around his neck and started explaining the events that had led to the child's birth and death.

Todd Manning walked into his suite to the greatest shock of his life. Which was saying something considering Todd's life. His dead twin, the one he himself had shot dead and the woman he loved wrapped around each other on HIS couch. Recovering quickly considering the circumstances, he picked up a pistol that lay on his desk,

"Blair and Tea are one thing, NOW I'm REALLY going to kill you."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"This is great, I can shoot you and since everyone already thinks your dead, I can totally get away with it."

Carly looked up and saw Todd had entered his suite. She noticed he had retrieved the pistol Victor had kidnapped her with and was now pointing it at them. She instinctively moved herself fully in front of Victor.

"Move Carly, now." Todd said, in a deadly calm voice.

She knew he was going to kill his brother. Todd wore the same look he had that day in the courtroom when he had come lethally close to killing Sonny. Carly had thought then it was the grief of losing a grandchild that had driven him to it. She saw now he could easily kill in cold blood. And she had no doubt if she moved away would.

"Victor, tell us how you got to Port Charles. Explain."

Victor wasn't stupid, he knew the blonde was all that stood between him and death. He also understood what she was trying to do. So he started to tell the story as well as he knew it,

"I woke up in a facility, Allison Perkins was there. She would come in ramble on telling me stories every once in awhile but leave so, I assumed Mitch was behind it. I escaped one day and accidentally ran into another patient's room. She said that she had never heard of Mitch Lawrence and that Allison was also a patient who just wandered freely. That we were being held by a German doctor."

"How did you end up in Port Charles?" Carly asked conversationally, as though she were asking how the weather had been on a friend's vacation at a dinner party.

"Long story short, I killed the doctor holding us and the woman being held with me, is a doctor from here. Her mother is the police commissioner, she came and got us and on the plane back I saw a paper from her hometown with your name as publisher and editor in chief. So here I am, to get what you took from me."

Todd was incredulous, he wondered if he had actually heard him correctly,

"Are you kidding, if you would get out from behind my woman and face me like a man, I would shoot you for that, anything you had was what you STOLE from ME while pretending to be ME."

"I am Victor Lord's son too."

"Congratulations, it's a real fucking honor to have that psycho's DNA. You and Tina should team up, she has made a lifelong career of trying to milk the estate."

Carly steered the conversation back to a piece of information that nagged at her,

"Anna Devane? Is she the police commissioner you're talking about?"

Victor nodded,

"Yeah, her daughter was held with me."

"Robin! That can't be." Carly thought he must be confused.

"Yes, Robin Scorpio Drake."

She's alive...Carly was thinking of how Jason died without knowing Robin survived somehow. So many questions left unanswered. Her attention returned to the room when Todd's voice interrupted,

"This is touching, really, I'm glad that the lady commish's daughter is alive, but let's get on with this."

"Stop it! You just heard him say Anna knows he's alive. If he's found dead, AGAIN. Who do you think they are going to arrest and send to prison?" Carly continued,

"You will get your children back. They will know you didn't kill their uncle. Your name will be restored."

Carly knew she had thawed the ice in his eyes a bit with the mention of his children forgiving him. Then something in his eyes changed,

"What about you? He seduced Tea and Blair, he has a predilection for my women, will he get you too?"

With that Carly stepped away from Victor to Todd and grabbed the wrist holding the gun and while pushing it down so the gun pointed at the floor,

"Victor, get out NOW! You go to my office and call Tea, tell her you're alive. We need some time alone, GO!"

Fire flashed in both of their eyes as Victor walked past them, Victor had never seen a woman quite like her. She was completely fearless.

When the door closed behind him. Todd let the gun drop to the floor and took her hand. Pulling her to him until their noses touched,

"You're mine."

"Really? How do I know you're not still Blair's?"

"Blair stayed with the man responsible for me being away from my family for eight years, I will never look at Blair the same. That is completely over." He stated emphatically.

"What is this? Why are you so upset? You have been cleared of a murder it turns out you actually didn't commit, your children will come around." She started to pull away from him confused by his admission as much as her own feelings.

He wouldn't let it drop or allow her to change the subject.

"It's him. I saw the way he looked at you, he may be married to Tea but he wants YOU."

Todd wouldn't let her go, she finally just stopped trying and looked up at him. Carly let him run his hands through her hair and over her bare shoulders down her back to her hips. He pulled her hips to his and kissed her with a hunger he had never displayed even during their most passionate lovemaking. Usually they battled for control of everything, kisses, who would undress who, who would be on top, who would set the pace. They were very evenly matched as lovers but Carly knew right now, he needed to be in complete control. She simply sank into his embrace and allowed herself the pleasure of his kiss.

He pulled away from her,

"Todd,"

She reached to stroke his face, her fingers tracing his scar seemed to unleash all of the emotions he had been withholding,

"Why wouldn't you want him? He is a better man then me. He didn't rape Marty Saybrooke or throw Tea out naked in a snowstorm. He didn't tell Blair her baby was dead. That all was me."

Carly understood now. Todd thought he didn't deserve love. That his past precluded him from ever finding happiness, that he didn't deserve it. Tea and Blair had chosen Victor over him and now that Carly had met him she would too. She had wholly accepted this man when she had forgiven the baby switch. She wasn't going to turn her back on him ever. She thought he knew that, apparently he had never experienced acceptance like that. Hell, before Jason she hadn't had anyone accept her regardless of what she did either.

She knew no words were going to be sufficient. She held his face and this time she controlled their kiss. She felt his body relax as the tension left it. She hoped it was a sign he was realizing she was here with him. She was not leaving him for anyone. Carly pushed him onto the couch that for the previous hour his long lost twin brother had been weeping on while absorbing the news of his unknown child's death, and straddled his lap. The red dress she had donned earlier with the intention of knocking his socks off at dinner was now pushed so high up her thighs that her lacy panties peeked out. That seemed to knock Todd out of his inertia, he pushed the dress higher as he deepened their kiss and turned her so she lay flat on her back on the overstuffed couch. She wrapped her legs around his waist and as she pulled his jacket off of his shoulders he pulled away from her mouth and gave her a choice,

"Couch or bed?"

They inaugurated his couch and made it to his enormous bed. Sometime in the middle of the night she told him she loved him, that she trusted him and wanted to be with only him. She wanted to make him happy. She didn't expect to hear it in return, that wasn't who Todd was. Unbeknownst to her, he made her those pledges and more while she lay curled asleep next him. She was his new beginning. He would take care of her and her children like they were his own.

They were going to have a life filled with passionate ups and downs. They would fight and push each other to their very limits but they would never betray one another. Others, probably and frequently but they would always count on the other to accept them and be their safe place to fall.


End file.
